Considered one of the most
talented rhythmic gymnasts of all time, Bianka Panova is also one
of the most versatile, able to perform exercises of great
difficulty, originality, and character. More than any other
gymnast, Bianka has proven herself adept at all styles of
routines, from upbeat and fun to dynamic and exciting to slow and
dramatic.
A native of Sofia, Bulgaria,
Bianka was born on May 27, 1970. She was chosen at a young age to
begin serious training, and later became the three-time national
champion of Bulgaria -- no small feat in a country where the
nationals were as difficult to win as Worlds. At the age of 15
she won her first gold medal at the 1985 World Championships for
a gorgeously elegant ribbon routine. Between 1985 and 1989,
Bianka would win 9 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze in world
competition, including her sweep of all 5 golds at the 1987
Worlds Championships. But when the Olympics finally rolled around
in 1988, Bianka found herself in an unusual position: underdog.
Disagreements with Bulgarian head coach Neshka Robeva caused a
rift between the two, and Bianka felt she was not prepared well
for the Seoul Olympics. Once at the Games, Bianka gave away her
shot at a medal by uncharacteristically dropping a club at the
end of her extremely intricate exercise. Despite a perfect 40.00
in the final round, she finished a disappointing fourth behind Marina
Lobatch (USSR), Bulgarian teammate Adriana Dunavska, and Alexandra
Timochenko (USSR).
Bianka Panova retired from
rhythmic gymnastics in 1989 and turned to coaching in Italy. She
trained Italian champion Katia Pietrosanti to one of Italy’s
only medals in World Championship competition. However, Bianka
still felt unfulfilled and set her sights a comeback;
unfortunately, she did not make the cut for the 1992 Bulgarian
Olympic team. She returned to coaching in 1993, this time in
Belgium, and her gymnasts competed in two European and three World
Championships.
These days, Bianka concentrates on artistic gymnastics and
acrobatics choreography. She is head coach at the Happy Gym club in Ghent,
Belgium and is responsible for many of Belgium's finest athletes, among them
National Champion Elke De Backer. She has also introduced her own method of flexibility
conditioning for non-gymnast athletes.
Bianka and her husband,
Tchavdar Ninor (physiotherapist and now physician), have two sons, Richard and
Steven.
For more information on Bianka and
her storied career visit Bianka's Web
site.
| Panova was
born in May 27, 1970. |
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© 1999-2002. This page was created on June
5th, 1999 and last updated July 4, 2001.
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